News

The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has appointed Dr. Jessica Morgan as the new Associate Director of the Center for Equine Health (CEH), effective November 1, 2025. Her five-year term will include primary oversight and administrative responsibility for the Center’s equine facilities on the UC Davis campus and its Templeton Farms facility in Templeton, California. In this role, she will supervise the equine care staff and help ensure the health and welfare of the horses at both sites.

ScribbleVet, an AI-powered scribe used by thousands of veterinarians, and UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, the number-one-ranked veterinary school in the United States, announced that the university has adopted ScribbleVet's veterinary AI scribe solution for use across its veterinary clinical facilities.

An extremely specialized equine surgery performed by only about a dozen veterinarians nationwide is now available at UC Davis. Thanks to the addition of Dr. Carter Judy to the faculty, as well as a dedicated large bore equine CT scanner, the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) now offers foraminotomy surgery for horses with cervical foraminal stenosis—a narrowing of an intervertebral opening where the limb nerve root exits the spinal column.

In the near future, a researcher works in a lab to receive and analyze data when an alert goes off. The data, from a network of strategically placed sensors, indicates the pandemic potential of a disease spreading between animal species. The researcher informs other teams of scientists to further investigate the issue, possibly mitigating the spread of that disease and stopping a new pandemic before it even starts. 

Protecting wildlife health is critical to achieving a more sustainable future, according to new research linking wildlife health surveillance to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

At the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, compassion meets innovation. When Kailana, a joyful Golden Retriever puppy, faced the risk of paralysis, our neurosurgeons,  supported by the Compassionate Care Fund, executed a delicate, seven-hour spinal surgery to secure her long-term mobility, showing how our boundary-pushing expertise transforms care.

25 July 1926 – 10 November 2025

Dean emeritus and founding faculty member Professor Edward (Ed) A. Rhode, who served four decades on the school’s faculty, passed on Monday, November 10, 2025. 

Dean Mark Stetter, reflecting on Rhode’s impact, described him as ‘a dedicated leader who helped shape the school into the world-class institution it is today. His commitment to advancing veterinary education and research, particularly with cardiology, large animal medicine, and disease management, left a lasting mark on our community and the profession.’ 

Instituted through the SVM People First strategic initiative, the annual Dean's Staff Awards (now in their second year) shine a light specifically on staff. These recognitions not only honor individuals, but also serve to acknowledge the broader impact of the staff to the SVM community. 

Ecological medicine is a new approach to health science that draws on a very old idea: connecting with each other, with animals and plants, and with the natural world fosters health and well-being for people and the planet.

“Everything you suspected was good for you -- fresh air, trees, animal companions, purpose, reciprocity -- turns out to have peer-reviewed backing,” said Rebecca Calisi Rodríguez, associate professor of neurobiology, physiology and behavior and director of the Green Care Lab at the University of California, Davis.

Edward, a 2-year-old wolverine at San Francisco Zoo & Gardens, is seeing better thanks to a first-ever novel lens corrective procedure on a wolverine’s eye. Following a recent cataract surgery, he became the first wolverine to have a custom-made intraocular lens implanted in his left eye. 

“Case of the Month” – November 2025

Newborn puppies will often wrestle and roughhouse with each other. More often than not, it all results in good fun. But one such incident with 6-week-old Kailana indicated to her owners John Hartmire and spouse Christine Pobanz-Stelter that there could be something seriously wrong with their golden retriever. 

Two years ago, Kidogo, a 13-year-old male Dachshund, was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease. Kidogo, whose name means “small” in Swahili, is the beloved pet and cherished member of the Balatti family. Despite his tiny stature, he has an enormous personality, and his family would do anything to help him.

UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Associate Professor Dr. Marisa Ames has been elected president of the American Heartworm Society (AHS). She was elected at the 2025 Triennial Heartworm Symposium held recently in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Ames is the second veterinary cardiologist in AHS history to serve as the organization’s president.

A group of three UC Davis veterinary students were awarded top prize at the 2025 American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Animal Welfare Assessment Contest, held recently at Texas A&M University. Third-year School of Veterinary Medicine students John-Gabriel Bermudez, Hailie Hou, and James Joy won the Live Assessment Top Placing Team, Veterinary Student Division at the event that drew more than 270 registrants from 23 universities across North America, testing their skills in assessing the welfare of animals.